Penguins Should Try Karlsson and Letang on Same Power Play
Anything should be on the table when it comes to fixing the Pittsburgh Penguins power play.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have played 20 games of the NHL season and their power play has been abysmal.
With only seven goals on 56 attempts, the Penguins sit 26th in the NHL with a 12.5% success rate.
Head coach Mike Sullivan and associate coach Todd Reirden have tried some small adjustments already, but there is one formation he’s used before that he may want to get back to.
When training camp opened for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kris Letang shared a power play blue line with newcomer Erik Karlsson.
Once the season opened, however, those two were split up between the first and second unit with Letang being the one to take the back seat.
Considering how poor the power play has looked, it might be time to bring Letang back to the top unit to see if it sparks anything within the group.
Hockey Night in Canada analyst and former NHLer Kevin Bieksa broke down the Penguins power play and suggested adding Letang to the point with Karlsson based on their handedness.
Bieksa details that them both being right-hand shots should open up more shooting lanes and one-timer opportunities.
Getting pucks on net has been one of the biggest setbacks of the Penguins power play and Sullivan has said before there are times they seem to be trying to pass the puck into the net.
Sullivan also always says that shooting the puck, even if it’s blocked or saved by the goalie, forces the opposition to make decisions and opens up other opportunities for the Penguins.
The more shots the better and Bieksa suggests that those two back on the same unit could open up those chances.
In fairness, you can’t just throw those two over the boards together and expect immediate magic, some changes to the structure do still need to be made; There does need to be more of a shoot-first emphasis within the group.
Karlsson and Letang have shared a blue line and created offense before, too, so this wouldn’t be anything new for them.
It was at even strength, but it was a perfect setup for Karlsson’s first game-winning goal as a Penguin.
The structure has been tried before, but abandoned before any real action could be taken with it.
An attempt was already made to separate Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, so there is a willingness to try anything; why not run it back with Letang and Karlsson?
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